Mixing valves



J. J. FlLLlUNG MIXING VALVES 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 14, 1960INVENTOR Jacouss J. F/LL/UNG BY u \a 7\ N 3 4 AW -4 H 2 -B W m? 11 7 ZWw w Wf M3 6 Q mk .lk H M w m w a PARKER 8 CARTER ATTORNEYS y 1962 J. J.FILLIUNG 3,034,138

MIXING VALVES Filed Nov. 14, 1960 g s s 2 IN V EN TOR. #004155 J. Flu.lU/VG PARKER 8 CARTER A rramva rs 3,034,138 MIXING VALVES Jacques J.Filliung, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Sloan Valve Company, Chicago, 11L,a corporation of Illinois Filed Nov. 14, 1960, Ser. No. 68,824 Claims.(Cl. 4-148) This invention relates in general to mixing valves, but moreparticularly to mixing valves for delivering tempered water to bath tubsor showers, and the principal object of the invention is to design a newand improved mixing valve which together with the shower head, islocated at a single position up on the bathroom wall.

Another object is to devise a new and improved mixing valve adapted tobe located at a higher position above a bath tube than that in whichmixing valves are customarily installed, so that children cannot reachit.

A further object is to provide a new and improved mixing valve locatedat an elevated position above a bath tub in which a shower head issupported and mounted directly upon the mixing valve itself.

Another object of the invention is to design a new and improved mixingvalve in which it is easier for a user to reach the operating controlsand to test the water temperature without first getting wet.

An additional object is to provide a novel mixing valve having adiverter valve incorporated therein in which the diverter valve iscontrolled by a direct movement of the shower head supporting arm.

Another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved watermixing valve combined with a shower head in which all of the controlsare located at one easy accessible position, so that adjustments can bereadily made by a user without stooping, getting wet or scalded by hotwater, and which are out of the-reach of children as well.

Another object is to devise a new and novel mixing valve and shower headcombined in a single unitary structure, so that all of the controls andadjustments are conveniently located at one place above a bath tub; saidcontrols including the temperature adjusting lever, the diverter valvefor switching between the shower head and tub spout, the ball joint onthe shower head for directing the shower stream, and the throttle on theshower head for regulating the rate of flow emitted.

A further object is to provide a combined mixing valve and shower headin which piping and labor is saved, installation simplified, and repairsreadily made.

It is common practice in bathrooms to install a shower head above thebath tub so that the user has the option of either filling the tub withwater from the tub spout or using the shower head for bathing. It isalso customary to provide a diverter valve associated with the hot andcold mixing valve to shift the tempered water to either the tub spout orthe shower head. The separate hot and cold supply valves or the integralmixing valve in such cases, are always mounted on the bathroom walldirectly above the location of the tub spout. In practice, the foregoingcustomary arrangement presents a number of disadvantages. For instance,children can reach up and play with the mixing valve or hot water valveand thereby injure or scald themselves and also could cause flooding ofthe tub with consequent damage in the bathroom. A person wishing to takea shower must stoop low over the tub to adjust the valves for thedesired tempered water and thus may get wet before he steps into thetub; the diverter valve may or may not have been operated to the properposition at the time. The shower head, the mixing valve, and thediverter are each located at a different position on the wall above thebath 3,034,138 Patented May 15, 1962 rial such as elbows, pipes andnipples, thereby increasing the installation costs.

The foregoing objections and disadvantages of the conventional bath tuband shower installations have been eliminated by the present inventionin which the shower head, mixing valve, and diverter are all assembledin a single unitary structure and located at an elevated position abovethe bath tub, that position preferably being the one occupied by theshower head itself in the regular installation or just above the averagepersons head. In this elevated position, children cannot reach thecontrols, it is much easier for a person to stand erect to adjust thedesired temperature of the water with one hand while testing the same atthe shower head with the other hand. All of the controls are located atone common central point easily accessible to a user. Installation costsare reduced and the bathroom wall is not cluttered up with a number ofdiiferent handles and valves involving numerous elbows, piping andnipples behind the wall. A further advantage is that the tempered waterselected at the mixing valve is immediately discharged from the showerhead since it is mounted directly upon it.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention consists incertain novel features of construction, operationand arrangement of theparts which will be hereinaftermore fully described, claimed andillustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the combined mixing valve and showerhead located above a bath tub;

FIG. 2 is a full size cross-sectional view of the device of theinvention, taken along the line 2-2 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 3 is a front view taken along the line 3-3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 2 showing a modified form of a divertervalve; while 7 FIG. 5 is a development of a cam surface on thetemperature adjusting lever to more clearly illustrate the operationthereof.

Referring now more specifically to the drawings, FIG. 1, the arrangementof the present invention, includes a manual mixing valve indicated at 5mounted on the bathroom wall 6 above the bath tub 7 and a water spout 8projecting from the wall above the bath tub. A shower 'head 9 is mounteddirectly upon the mixing valve 5 and projects outwardly from the centerof the valve as shown. The combined mixing valve 5 and shower head 9 aremounted as a unit and are located high above the bath tub 7, at theelevation that the shower head alone is tub, necessitating additionalinstallation labor, and mate- I usually mounted. The mixing valve has abrass casing formed of two parts '10 and 11 secured together by screws31 (see FIG. 3), and enclosed by a cover or shell 12. The screws 13 onthe outside of the cover 12 fasten the cover to the body 10. The body 10is provided with three threaded openings at the rear side into which thehot and cold water supply pipes 14 and 15 are threaded, together withthe mixed water outlet pipe 16 which is arranged between the other twopipes. Although the mixing valve is shown as surface mounted on wall 6,it is readily understood that the body or casing 5 may be entirelyrecessed or concealed in the wall with the piping attached to the valvefrom the rear side, or if necessary, from the sides of the casing.

Between the two casing parts 10 and 11 of the mixing valve there is asealing gasket 17 to seal oif the water mixing chamber 18 formed betweenthe two parts. The

in adjacent the diverter valvemember 20. Diverter valve 20 is adapted tobe seated upon either valve seat 23 or valve seat 24 located oppositeone another in the mixing chamber 18. With the diverter valve 20 seatedupon seat a r 24 as shown, water from mixing chamber :18 can flow"through passages 22 into the shower head pipe 21. With diverter 20closed upon valve seat 23, the water fiow from the mixing chamber 18tothe shower head pipe 21 is shut olf, and water flow is thenperrnittedto take place from the mixing chamber 18 outward into tub spout pipe 16.The valve seats 23 and 24 may have rubber seating surfaces instead ofmetal as is well understood.

sired position depending upon whether the user wishes to take a showeror a tub bath. The shower arm 21 is longitudinally slidabl-e withincasing 11 and is guided in place by a nut 28 having a threaded shank 29extending into the casing. .An O-ring seal 30 held in place by shank 29seals the shower arm 21 and casing 11 from leakage outward from themixing chamber 18.

A temperature adjusting arm and handle 35 extends downwardly from'themixing valve through a slot in the cover 12 and is'adapted to be shiftedin a short rotary .movement about the axis of the shower arm from an oilposition to a hot position with intermediate temperatbre ranges betweenthese two extreme positions.

Suitable indicia (not shown) on the cover 12 and the adjusting arm 35may be provided tohelp the userv select the desired temperaturecondition. Adjusting arm 35 is formed with and extends outwardly from asupporting and bearing plate 36 of circular shape and rotates at itsinner edge 37 in a groove formedinthe projecting center portion 38 ofcasing 11. Any. movement of adjusting arm 35 will cause a correspondingrotationof supporting plate 36'about the axis of the shower arm 21 andpart 38. Suitably secured to the supporting plate 36 adjacent its outerportion is a circular cam surface 39, the contour of which is moreclearly illustrated diagrammatically in FIG. 5, to be further explainedhereafter. Bushing 28 holds all the foregoing parts in assembledrelationship on the center portion 38 of casing 11 as shown.

The cold vwater valve member '40 and the hot Water valve member 48 areof identical construction and therefore only one will be describedindetail. Valve member 40 has a nose or operating head portion 41 which isnormally slightly spaced'from and is adapted to be contacted by the camsurface 39 and thereby be forced inward. The valve member ,40 has itsstem portion guided in the bushing 42. which is threaded into casing 11.A restoring spring 43 around the stem of valve member 40 and betweenbushing 42 and head 41 holds the valve closed upon its, seat assisted bythe Water pressure in the supply pipe lines. The opposite end of thestem of valve 40 is provided with a valve member or head 44 normallyseated upon valve seat 45 formed in the bottom end of bushing 42. Theopening of the valve member 44 from its seat 45 admits cold waterfrompipe 15 into bushing I 42'and then through passages 47 aroundbushing 42, into the mixing chamber 18. An O-ring 46 around the sternof'valve member 40 preventsleakage outward through the valve stem. Thevalve member 44 may be made of rubber and arranged to be renewable. Aseal 34 is preferably placed between thebottom of bushing 42 and casingadjacent the valve member 44, to seal off the mixing chamber 18 from theinlet supply pipes 14 and 15.- Check valves may be inserted in the hotand cold water.

pipes if desired to prevent cross flow as is customarily done.

member 40 and the hot valve member 48 are normally held closed againsttheir seats 45 by spring 43 but there is a slight gap normally betweenthe head 41 and the cam surface 39. When the adjusting handle 35 istherefor rotated, the cam surface 39 is so arranged that the cold watervalve 49 will be relatively quickly opened until the point 69 is reachedin which position of the handle the cold water flows at its maximum. Thecold water is preferably first admitted to the mixing chamber 18 beforeany hot Water is, as is customarily done. .During this movement the hotwater valve 48 is gradually opened until the point 61 is reached on thecam 39 which is the maximum opening position of valve 48 for the hotwater. When point 61 is reached by the cam and hot water valve 48, thecold water valve 40 will have engaged point 62, gradually closing offand thereby tempering the hot water flow a certain amount. When therespective valves and cam reach points 63 and 64, the cold water valve40 will be completely closed while the hot water valve 48 will be wideopen. It will therefore 'be seen that by the selective position of thehandle 35, mixed water of any temperature desired may be secured betweenthe two extreme positions of hot and cold water valves. The hot and coldwaters enter the mixing chamber 18 from their respective supply pipes 14and 15 and openings 47 where they are thoroughly mixed to the selectedtemperatures, and then pass outward to either the pipe 16 and the tubspout 8, or into shower arm 21 into the shower From the foregoingarrangement and construction, it

will be clear that all of the controls and devices necessary fol-takinga bath or shower are located at one place in the bathroom wall and allare readily accessible to a user. If a bath is desired, the shower arm21 is grasped and simply pulled outward and the temperature selectinglever 35 is moved to the desired tempered water position. If a showerbath is desired, the shower arm is first pushed inward and the lever 35then rotated to the temperature of water selected by the used. Byoperating the lever 35 with one hand and testing for the wantedtemperature of water with the other hand under the shower head 9, theuser does not have to stoop down or get his head or body wet. The showerhead throttle 26 can also be easily manipulated at the same location togive the rate of flow desired, while the ball-joint 27 enables theshower head 9 to be pointed in the direction desired by the bather. Allcontrols being located at the elevation of the shower head, childrencannot ordinarily reach them and become endangered by scalding.

In addition to the foregoing advantages, fewer piping connections arerequiredand the bathroom wall has less devices mounted upon it. Repairsare easily made from the front of the mixing valve by first removing thecover 12, the bushing 28, and the shower head 9. The valve bushings 42can then be screwed out of mounting plate 11 and the valve seats can berenewed or repaired if necessary. It will be noted that the valvemembers such as 44 are closed, with the supply line pressure upon thevalve seat 45, thereby assisting the spring 43 in the closing movementof the valve.

Since the shower head is located directly upon the mixing valve, anychange in the water temperature is immediately manifested as it isdischarged from the shower head. There is no long delay for the water toflow as formerly from the mixing valve located low down on the wall upto the shower head high above the same. This is a distinct advantage. 7

In the modification shown in FIG. 4, the diverter valve has beenarranged as a separate control from the shower head arm shown in FIG. 2.The diverter valve member 50 in mixing chamber 18 is adapted to close oropen upon its valve seats 23 and 24 to divert the mixed temperaturewater into either the pipe 16 leading to the tub spout 8 or into theshower arm leading into the shower head 9.

An operating rod 51 is attached at one end to the diverter valve member50 and is guided by a washer 52 having water passages 53 therein. Theother end of rod 51 has a knob 54 attached thereto for manipuating thediverter valve 50, and the ShCfl er arm 55 has an enlarged portion 56for accommodating the leakproof bushing 57 and for guiding the stem 51at that end. The remaining parts and operation of the mixing valve aresimilar to those disclosed in FIG. 2.

While the invention has been illustrated and described in its preferredform and a modification thereof, it will be understood that it may becapable of other modifications to those skilled in the art, and it istherefore desired not to limit the invention to the preciseconstructions shown, but only to the extent of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a shower and bath tub arrangement, a mixing valve and a showerhead, a common supporting casing for said mixing valve and said showerhead, said casing being located at the same elevation that said showerhead is located above said bath tub, said shower head supported axiallyfrom the front of said casing and said valve, an adjusting lever forsaid mixing valve projecting from the side of said casing and movableconcentrically of said shower head to efiect an adjustment of saidmixing valve, a diverter valve in said casing, a tub spout located abovethe rim of said bath tub and below said mixing valve casing andconnected therewith, said diverter valve eiiective to selectivelycontrol water flow either to said shower head or said tub spout.

2. In a shower bath arrangement for a bath tub, the combination of ashower head and a mixing valve in which the shower head is supporteddirectly from the center of the mixing valve and in which the mixingvalve is located at an elevation above said bath tub at which the showerhead is customarily arranged, a manual temperature adjusting leverextending laterally from said mixing valve and adjustable concentricallyof said mixing valve and said shower head, and a diverter valve in saidmixing valve for directing water flow selectively into said shower heador said bath tub.

3. In a shower bath arrangement, the combination of a shower head and amixing valve mounted together on a wall, a common supporting casing forboth said shower head and mixing valve, said shower head extendingaxially of said common supporting casing, a temperature adjusting handlefor said mixing valve extending radially from said casing and operableabout the axis of said shower head, and a diverter valve in said casingcontrolled by said shower head.

4. In a mixing valve for a bath tub and shower, at casing mounted on awall surface, a mixing chamber inside said casing arranged between thefront and rear surfaces of said casing, an axial outlet openingextending from the rear of said casing into said mixing chamber and asecond axial outlet opening extending from the front of said easing intosaid mixing chamber, said casing having cold and hot inlet openingsextending into said mixing chamber from the rear side thereof andconcentric of said rear inlet opening, a hot and a cold valve member insaid mixing chamber controlling water flow from said inlets to saidoutlets, a diverter valve in said mixing chamber for selectivelydirecting water flow into either of said outlets, and an adjustinghandle on said casing for controlling said hot and cold valves.

5. In a mixing valve for controlling the temperature of the waterleading to an outlet in the mixing valve, a shower head supported onsaid mixing valve, and means controlled by said shower head forselectively diverting the mixed water from said mixing valve into saidoutlet or into said shower head.

6. The combination of a mixing valve and a shower head, said shower headbeing supported directly upon said mixing valve, a temperature adjustinglever for said mixing valve, said mixing valve having a hot water and acold water inlet and two outlets, one leading into said shower head, adiverter valve in said mixing valve for opening or closing either ofsaid two outlets, and means directly operated by said shower head forcontrolling said diverter valve.

7. In a mixing valve having a water mixing chamber therein with anoutlet leading to a tub spout and another outlet leading to a showerhead, said shower head being supported directly upon said mixing valve,a diverter valve in said mixing valve controlling the passage of waterfrom said mixing chamber into either said tub spout or said shower head,and connecting means between said diverter valve and said shower headwhereby said shower head controls the operation of said diverter valve.

8. In a mixing valve, a casing having a hot water inlet valve and a coldwater inlet therein, said casing also having a water mixing chamber witha tub spout outlet and a shower head outlet leading therefrom, atemperature adjusting lever projecting from said casing and controllingthe water flow from said inlets to said mixing chamber, a diverter valvein said mixing chamber controlling the water flow from said mixingchamber to either said tub spout outlet or said shower head outlet, ashower head supporting arm mounted on said casing and connected on oneend to said diverter valve, and a shower head mounted on the other endof said supporting arm.

9. In a mixing valve, a casing having hot and cold water inlets leadinginto a mixing chamber, said mixing chamber having a tub spout outlet anda shower head outlet, a temperature lever for controlling water flowfrom said inlets into said mixing chamber, a diverter valve in saidmixing chamber for controlling water flow from said mixing chamber intoeither said tub spout outlet or said shower head outlet, a supportingtube on said casing extending through said shower head outlet and intosaid mixing chamber, said diverter valve being supported in one end ofsaid supporting tube, and a shower head supported on the other end ofsaid supporting tube, said supporting tube adapted to be manuallyshifted inward or outward from said casing to close or open saiddiverter valve on either of said outlets.

'10. In a shower bath arrangement, a mixing valve arranged on a wall atan elevation at which a shower-head is usually located, a showerhead'supported directly upon said mixing valve and projecting axiallytherefrom, amixing chamber in said mixing valve, a hot and' a cold waterinlet connection extending into said mixing chamber from the rear ofsaid mixing valve, an outlet connection extending from the rear of saidmixing chamber, a second outlet connection extending from the front ofsaid mixing chamber and leading into said shower head, a diverting valvein said casing for selectively directing water flow from said mixingchamber into either of said outlet connections, a hot and a cold watercontrol valve in said mixing chamber for controlling water flow fromsaid inlets into said mixing chamber, and an adjusting lever extendingradially of said mixing valve and shower head for controlling said hotand cold water valves.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,173,064 Judell Sept. 12, 1939 2,504,610 Wolf Apr. 18, 1950 2,847,681Jacobs Aug. 19, 1958 2,934,091 Chapou Apr. 26, 1960

